July 11, 2011

I've been a reader of Mark both on Twitter and on his site, Beercraft, for a few years now and I've always been impressed with the depth of his knowledge and his willingness to share his opinions in an honest, but constructive way.

Mark has been writing about beer, in print and online, for eight years and will cover the Rochester beer scene for NYCR and also offer commentary and insight into the greater New York beer industry.

Together with our Julia Burke, our beer editor, he'll help build upon and expand our beer coverage -- one of our goals for 2011.

We are still looking for someone to cover the downstate beer scene, but in the meantime, please join me in welcoming Mark to the NYCR.

July 10, 2011

The Signature Series is Custom Brewcrafters' higher-end line of beers, allowing the brewers to stretch their wings outside the regular CB flagships and contract brews.

This saison pours a gorgeous three-finger head with perfect lacing, a beautiful pale gold haze glowing from the glass. The nose shows orange zest and meringue, pillowy yeast esters and a twinge of coriander, high-toned lemony minerality, and just a hint of earthy musk.

There’s a clean, crisp palate with clear hops for a citrusy lift. The rich, creamy midpalate is like an orange peep cuddle, then slowly the hops set in. A long, clean finish packed with fruit and hop zing begs for sipping. It’s an ideal breakfast or lunch beer.

Speaking of which, I’ve been having fun with beer waffles of late; saison makes a particularly delicious waffle ingredient and accompaniment. Try it!

Three egg yolks (Because you’re using the yolk, I strongly recommend eggs from free range chickens—the kind that are actually the color they are supposed to be)

One whole egg

12 oz. saison

1 ½ cup white flour

1 T. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Dash of sugar

¼ cup peanut or vegetable oil

Fresh berries and whipped cream or yogurt for garnish

Maple syrup

Beat the eggs until really puffy, then add beer and oil. Combine dry ingredients and make a well in the center; pour in wet ingredients and stir just enough to combine. Because the waffles are a little dry on their own, I like them with fresh fruit and yogurt or whipped cream, but maple syrup is a must as well.

July 07, 2011

Channing Daughters Winery's winemaker, Christopher Tracy, makes several chardonnay-based wines in a wide range of styles. For my money, his all-steel Scuttlehole Chardonnay is consistently the best and is the wine against which I judge other New York wines of its type.

Channing Daughters 2009 Scuttlehole Chardonnay ($17) is proof that stainless steel chardonnay needn't be one-dimensional and somewhat neutral. The fruit for this wine was all hand harvested and whole-cluster pressed -- the norm at Channing Daughters, but not as common with most other steel-feremented chardonnays. Maybe that's the key difference, particularly the whole-cluster pressing.

Day two of my Hudson Valley adventure was all about wine tasting, but before wine there has to be coffee, and we kicked off the day with a trip to Strongtown Organic Coffee Roasters in Hudson. There I had the best cup of coffee in my life (I’m not kidding) and picked up a pound of Indonesian coffee as well.

We started with Robibero Family Vineyards, the youngest winery on the Shawangunk trail. Robibero doesn't have much in the way of estate wine yet, but the list is a solid lineup made from Finger Lakes and Long Island fruit, and with its stunning view, awesome patio, and live music events, it's a great destination where folks can enjoy good New York wine in a beautiful setting.

From the youngest winery in the Hudson Valley, we headed to Brotherhood Winery, the oldest continually-operating winery in the country. The sense of history in the Hudson Valley is part of its charm and Brotherhood has certainly made a destination of itself as well with a cafe, huge tasting room, outdoor music and picnic tables.

Brotherhood had very nice wines including Saphir Rose, a chardonnay/pinot bubbly with fruit sourced from the Hudson Valley which showed snappy strawberry flavors and nice balance. But my favorite of the wines was the 2008 pinot noir, which the server told me was sourced locally. I tasted it and was struck by the clean cranberry nose and lovely, light, velvety-smooth palate with no discernible oakiness; I thought to myself, "this is how I want MY pinot to turn out."

My guide, David, and I decided to get lunch at the classy winery bistro, and I was thoroughly enjoying a glass of that pinot with a smoked salmon plate when winemaker and owner Cesar Baeza walked by our table to greet David.

David introduced me as being from the Niagara Escarpment, and Baeza chuckled, "Well, you're drinking Niagara Escarpment pinot!" Turns out Brotherhood sourced the grapes for this wine from the now-defunct and recently sold Warm Lake Estate. I nearly fell off my chair.

The chance to try pinot noir from Warm Lake fruit made by a professional winemaker was an amazing “twin study” and I couldn’t pass up a case. I look forward to seeing how this already-delicious pinot develops over the next few years.

Benmarl Winery was our next stop and showed one of the most solid lineups of Hudson Valley wine that I experienced. Highlights included the lovely, limey 2009 seyval and delicious Slate Hill 2009 chardonnay-driven blend, a well-structured DeChauanc and bing-cherry- tastic 2009 frontenac, and the estate baco, which showed velvety blackberry notes and an elegant earthy, green pepper and mineral nose.

Across the board the wines were expressive and balanced.

Our last stop of the day was Stoutridge Vineyard, and it was perhaps the most unique winery experience of the weekend.

Owner and winemaker Steve Osborn is a tour de force, producing unfiltered and sustainably-made wines sourced from Hudson Valley fruit and selling them with conviction and passion in his tasting room.

An entire gravity-flow, no-pump cellar, designed so he can do everything himself, was an impressive sight, but it wouldn’t be if his wines weren’t also tasty.

The seyval showed great acid and hints of melon and honeydew, and the Hudson Heritage (a blend of chard, vidal, Cayuga, seyval and pinot gris) was rich, delicious and juicy. His cabernet franc was also fleshy and meaty with good varietal character.

Why the Hudson Valley? I asked Osborn, a Finger Lakes expat. “I need the ‘eat local’ market,” he explained, citing the New York City area’s restaurants and tourists as a key demographic for his “natural” wines. This key advantage of the Hudson Valley area should prove even more important as quality and consistency continues to improve in the region.

The Hudson Valley has other clear advantages as a wine region: natural beauty, a unique niche with lesser-known varieties, and multiple farms and related businesses producing a wide variety of local products. It’s a one-stop-shop tourist destination and the quality of the wines is already quite impressive. So what is the region’s biggest challenge?

From my brief experience, the spread-out nature of the Hudson Valley area — it took us nearly an hour to get from Hudson-Chatham to the Shawangunk trail—is a major challenge as it’s difficult for visitors to get to all the top wineries without driving at great length. The distance between wineries is also an obstacle to collaboration and collective voice within the region, which was another topic that came up frequently over the weekend.

I’m thrilled to have been introduced to the Hudson Valley and am now firmly invested in following the region as wines and regional identity develop. I hope to make another trip in the fall to experience the beauty of the region during harvest!

July 06, 2011

This week, we dedicate our What We Drank feature to Red Newt Cellars, winemaker Dave Whiting and especially Debra Whiting, who was taken from us and the world far too soon. And, we've invited members of the New York wine community and the extended NYCR family to take part as well. It's the least we can do for a woman and a family that has touched so many of us.

If you read this post and would like to send me your own submission, please do. I will keep adding onto this page as long as it takes to include everyone.

Evan Dawson, NYCR Managing Editor: Red Newt Cellars 2007 Viridescens

If you have a friend who proclaims a taste for modern, big reds, and doesn't believe such wines can come from the Finger Lakes, then I'd have you point them to Red Newt reds in hot vintages. Here's a perfect example.

This wine is unabashedly modern, ripe, and seamlessly melding the dark fruit, spice, and oak tones. It's about half cabernet franc, always a good start for a meritage blend from the Finger Lakes.

You know what? Don't tell your red-loving friend to try this wine.

Salute the Whiting style of wine appreciation: brown bag it, mix it in with other reds, and pair it with thoughtful cuisine. You'll have fun, you'll learn something, and you'll be reminded that food and wine are made for each other, like the Whitings we've come to love.

On a beautiful 4th of July in the Finger Lakes I was fortunate enough to have a back yard picnic with family featuring traditional summer fare -- grilled sausage with peppers and onions, corn on the cob and potato salad.

To honor the occasion, and our friends the Whitings, the wine selection was Red Newt Salamander White.

This wine was surprisingly dry for a mostly hybrid blend which was a pleasant surprise, and had plenty of citrus fruit that went perfectly with our meal. This is a great summer wine!

I have known Dave Whiting for much of my life and Deb in recent years. They have been great colleagues and I have always been so impressed with what they have accomplished on that little hill in Hector.

I met Dave and Deb Whiting for the first time in the early 2000s, the first year they started the winery. He had left Standing Stone, where he had rightfully been a star, and was now out on his own. He was excited and nervous all at the same time. He and his wife poured for us. They were gracious and chatty, and couldn't wait to tell you about their wines, but they also suggested other wines we should be drinking.

They were selling other people's wines.

Just weeks ago I talked with him, while he was doing a tasting event at Union Square Wines. He did not remember it. But we did. We were fans of theirs from that moment on.

I finally got a chance to eat at the restaurant last year, and it was a tremendous pleasure. It was nice to go to a restaurant and not have to scour the list for one or two New York wines, and it was nice to know that everything was seasonal and local. It was the perfect marriage of food and wine, and the meal was terrific.

So last night Dominique and I paid our homage. We had mixed grill of beef and chicken (both local – I mean 2-3 miles away tops) and local chard. And while all of it was simmering on the stove or crackling on the grill, we opened up a bottle of Cabernet Franc Glacier Ridge Vineyard 2007.

The wine was this big, purple-y, earthy cabernet franc, filled with deep fruits – lots of dark plum, cassis, dark blackberry, and dark cherry, with a nice chewiness, a slight whiff of lavender and tobacco, and a smooth, velvety finish. A fantastic wine with solid alcohol (13.7%) and great mouthfeel. This was truly an exquisite red. Easily one of the best red wines in the Finger Lakes.

With the local foods, it seemed a good fit and a tremendous way to celebrate two lives who’ve been huge in leading the way for New York wine.

So many wonderful things have been said about Deb Whiting over the last several days. Honestly, as far as I'm concerned, it's not enough. It never can be. I only spent time with her -- in person I mean -- a handful of times but each time I was struck by her genuine warmth, her generosity and the way she made every single person in the room feel like the most important one there.

And that doesn't even speak to her food and talents in the kitchen. From one of the best burgers I've ever had -- local, grass-fed beef of course -- to a simple green salad -- her cooking always exemplified her belief that when the food is fresh and local, it needn't be complicated to be amazing.

I also had the distinct pleasure of working together with Deb on several "Local with Local" posts for which I picked a Finger Lakes wine and she created a dish to pair with it. Her enthusiasm for the series -- and for most anything "local" -- always inspired me. Still does, in fact.

Last night, Nena and I toasted Deb, Dave and the entire Red Newt family with this bottle of 2006 Riesling Reserve, a bottle I've been holding onto for a few years with that unknown "special occasion" in mind.

Last night just seemed like the right time to open it.

What a beautiful wine that has really developed and improved with a few extra years of bottle age. The crisp apple and bright lime notes are still there, but the body has filled out with a bit of richness -- with more than enough citrusy acidity and much more slate minerality than I remember.

Every time I ate at Red Newt, I thanked Deb for her hospitality and for what was always a terrific meal. She always made a point of thanking me for being there -- as if me being there was as or more important than her role in the evening. It was a genuine sentiment.

We'll miss you, Deb. But you're legacy lives on in every restaurant kitchen and tasting room in the region. You will never be forgotten.

I only met Deb Whiting a few times over the years, and wouldn't presume to consider myself a friend, though when I last visited the Newt in May 2010 for a Riesling vertical wine dinner, I think it was pretty clear to her and Dave that I'm a fan of everything they've been doing over the years.

Since I heard the news of the accident, I've shed more than a few tears, because even though we weren't close, I felt a bond with them. I ate at the bistro twice, and drink the wines whenever I have the chance, and love them both.

I opened a Red Newt Glacier Vineyards Cab Franc 2008 tonight in their honor. It was delicious, lively and cheerful, and I consumed it even though it clearly had much potential ahead. Somehow, that seemed fitting.

I never met Deb Whiting, but my wife and I rarely miss an opportunity to eat at the Red Newt Bistro (sometimes multiple times in two days) on our frequent trips to the Finger Lakes, so I'm pretty familiar with her food. We usually drink the house wines when we're there -- how much more local can you get? -- and the last time we had lunch there, on my recommendation my wife got a glass of the Sawmill Creek Vineyard riesling. I'd first tasted it at an event here in New York City, and I thought then that it was one of the finest, most balanced dry rieslings I'd ever tasted. She agreed, although the Davis Vineyard riesling gave it serious competition.

We're members of the Times Union New York wine club, and recently our shipment included a bottle of the 2009 Red Newt Sawmill Creek Vineyard riesling. I still consider this one of the best examples of Finger Lakes riesling I can think of, with just enough acid, just enough minerality, and a hint of residual sugar.

When Lenn asked me if I'd contribute to this WWD, there was no question which bottle of Red Newt wine to open. I wish I had a few more bottles left.

Tom Mansell, NYCR Science Editor: Red Newt Cellars 2008 Viridescens

The word "viridescence" means having a green quality, but there are no real "green" notes in this 2008 Red Newt offering. Just about half-and-half cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc with a splash of merlot, the nose takes one from fresh-roasted coffee beans to rich blueberry to a hint of sulfury blackcurrant. In the mouth, the fresh acidity of the 2008 vintage supports alternating fruity honeydew and plum and savory rare beef and licorice notes. A soft but firm grip of tannins leads to a medium-long acid finish that leaves you wanting more.

This is a delicious wine and a fine example of how the best producers will make great wines (even reds) in any vintage.

As I have gradually ingratiated myself into the Finger Lakes wine industry, I have been most impressed with the overall feeling of welcome I have received. Nobody has exemplified the art of welcoming like Deb and Dave Whiting. From the Bistro to the winery, everybody at Red Newt is on point. That's the culture that Dave and Deb have cultivated and it resonates from a central core of mutual respect, friendship, passion for their calling, and overall joie de vivre.

Several weeks ago I began preparing to take a postdoctoral research job out of state. As I did I thought back on all the wonderful people in this industry I would be leaving behind. Dave and Deb where the absolute first ones that came to mind. The times I spent at the Newt are some of the most enjoyable I have had during my stay in the Finger Lakes. I just thought I would have a chance to say a proper goodbye before I left.

Deb's legacy lives on in every amateur chef who tries to make a ravioli out of seasonal ingredients she never dreamed should go in a ravioli, in every shopper who chooses the local farmers market or CSA over more convenient options, and in every perfect pairing of local food and local wine. Her spark of passion for local food has helped ignite a blaze of locavore culture that shows no sign of dying out. She was warm, kind, generous, and always smiling. We will miss her tremendously.

It will be difficult, but I know that Dave and the Red Newt family have the help of an excessively supportive wine industry in the wake of this tragedy. And given the foundation that Dave and Deb have built, I know that Red Newt will continue to be a beacon to the Finger Lakes wine and culinary industries, even if its light is momentarily dimmed.

I first had this wine in August, 2010 while having dinner at Red Newt. Our waitperson was intimate with the wine and said based our conversation (about my palate) "You'll love it." We did and asked for two more to take with us. I couldn't keep my hands off one and drank it while sitting on the Seneca Lake shoreline. The other was opened July 4, 2011.

The wine was clear with a ruby core fading to a pink rim. A clean modestly pronounced and still youthful nose of raspberry, cherry and plum along with thyme, mocha slight tobacco and light smoke. The palate was dry with medium plus acidity, medium tannin and alcohol with medium plus body. The mocha note really carried through to the palate along with the red fruit/herbal component. Medium plus length which was very pleasant.

This was served with a variety of grilled meats including ribeye with a porcini rub and simple grilled chicken with herbs. The wine had no problem standing up to either.

To my taste this is exactly what I enjoy in red wine. Modest tannin balanced by an acidic backbone and not overpowered by excess alcohol. Perfect everytime. This wine was a spectacular effort.

I had my first proper introduction to the Red Newt wines on a solo trip back home to the Finger Lakes in July of 2009. I had set out blindly to see if my previous experience in wine would find me disappointed by what I would find back upstate. I happened upon Red Newt while looking over the regional winery map and had heard/read that it was worth the visit. Over a few days I was shown the great potential that existed around the Lakes.

Since that visit Red Newt has been part of every serious conversation I've had about the direction of the region. And, after reading Summer In A Glass it's hard not to feel the tremendous loss that the Whiting family has encountered.

Having been born on Cayuga Lake and finding my way into the world of wine it seems only fitting to savour a classic from the family. I've certainly had them in my thoughts.

This wine smells of home and perky youth. Initial green apple and peachy notes via the Mosel but rounded by something more tropical. A bit of orange and lemon zest and minerality with striking acidity that makes you want another sip. Beautiful finish with an integrity of sweetness usually reserved for the German Kabinetts. A riesling that should be held up as a model for balance in the United States. This 2009 is rockin'!

The news from the Finger Lakes this past weekend made my heart heavy as I celebrated with friends and family.

I met Dave and Deb a couple of years ago when visiting the area for a long weekend with Lenn and Nena. I was taken by the passion that both expressed for the region through food and wine. Having lunch at the Bistro while Dave poured his wines for us was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

This Gewurztraminer from the Curry Creek Vineyards surprises me every time I have an opportunity to taste it. Most people know that I am typically not a fan of this grape. I usually associate gewurtz with drinking grandma's perfume after it has been steeped with potpourri for several houris.

It is because of this association that I would generally steer clear. This particular wine was a revelation for me when I first tasted it. I love the lychee and pear notes coupled with the ginger spiciness on the finish.

I couldn't believe that this was the same wine that had haunted me so many times before. It is because of this wine, and the care that is obviously taken with it, that I will continue to taste and drink gewurtz at every opportunity.

In my mind, this wine epitomizes the elegant characteristics of this grape and a perfect expression in the glass.

Being away from home, let alone nearly the antipode of home, makes us all reach out for a reminder of where we come from. As a young winemaker traveling to learn from and share with other regions, however, there is also a degree of one-upmanship involved when pulling out a bottle of wine from home. I don't want to just be reminded of home, I want everyone else I share the bottle with to be jealous that their home is anywhere else.

Such was the case a few weeks after my arrival in Tasmania to work their harvest earlier this year, when I pulled out a special bottle from home to share with everyone I was working with. Having tasted it before I departed when I was selecting the best of the best from the Finger Lakes, I had no doubt how Red Newt's 2009 Davis Vineyards Riesling would provide the "wow" factor I desired. After dozens of pleasant enough Tasmanian rieslings, I wanted a wine that would remind me of where I came from.

Given how young the wine was (and how low the pHs were for 2009 Finger Lakes rieslings in general), it was no surprise that the wine needed a few minutes to breath and blow off some remaining SO2.

Shortly thereafter, the room was filled with the aroma of peach, ripe mango, and a flash of lime zest. Most surprisingly to my companions was the midpalate, however, as it beguiled them with gorgeous blood orange and honeysuckle aromas before finishing with a lightening crack of acidity. It was that crack of acidity that I had desperately missed (without knowing it) in every wine I had tried since departing.

Within five seconds I was not only reminded of where I had come from, but why I was looking forward to coming back. Not just for the gorgeous wines, like so many that Red Newt releases year after year, but especially for the Finger Lakes family that makes those wines possible.

For all the comfort and pride Red Newt's 2009 Davis Vineyards Riesling brought me, I plan on returning the favor ten times over for Dave and the Red Newt family.

This past December during the week between Christmas and New Years I had my very first opportunity to visit Red Newt Cellars, a winery I had often enjoyed when attending the Finger Lakes Wine Festival.

I planned my tour of Southeast Seneca so I would arrive around lunch time in order to finally try firsthand the culinary samplings served up by resident chef Deb Whiting, whom I had repeatedly heard praises.

Although the Bistro wasn’t open due to my timing, Red Newt did offer a scaled down, but still very smart, café menu offered in a segregated section of the tasting room. Our lunch of course was fantastic and met every expectation, and at the conclusion I was lucky enough to personally thank Chef Deb Whiting. Although lunch was short, and my conversation with the chef brief, the experience offered an instant insight into the culinary success the Finger Lakes region is achieving, straight from its pioneer.

In remembrance of Chef Deb Whiting’s passing and the memorial service that was being held last night at Red Newt I found it fitting to open a bottle of 2009 Red Newt Cellars Riesling Sawmill Creek Vineyards. This current vintage has both citrus and light herbal notes on the nose.

At first sip lime takes center stage but is then accompanied with green apple. This semi-dry has no problem successfully balancing its residual sweetness with a strong acidic backbone. This wine will clearly get better with age.

It is hard for me to comprehend what the Red Newt Winery Family is going through with the sudden and tragic loss of Deb Whiting, wife, mother, chef and friend to many.

Dave, Ryan and Brenton are devastated I am sure. The entire Finger Lakes wine community is consumed in greif by her loss. It reverberates down here on Long Island as well, whether you met her or not, tonight, on July 5, 2011 as family and friends gathered at Red Newt Winery and Bistro in Hector, NY to celebrate Deb’s life, there were people that could not be there in person, like myself.

When Lenn offered others an opportunity to celebrate her life by tasting Red Newt’s wine and write some notes, I thought it was a great way to honor Deb and to those that never met her, or met her only once or knew her personally. In some small way, it helps us all to work through our feelings and pay tribute to a person who meant so much to everyone.

I was lucky enough to have one bottle of Red Newt -- a bottle of Red Newt Cellars 2009 Saw Mill Creek Vineyard Riesling. On the nose I was picking up some juicy lime and peach notes with hints of flowers and dried apple. There was a Asian tea-like aroma that developed over time in the glass with more of the floral notes taking center stage.

When I tasted this wine the lime and citrus notes jumped on my palate with hints of river rock minerality, peach and a lightning bolt of electric acid. Well balanced and delicious, it kept me wanting to take another sip. An enticing finish of apple, pear and a squirt of lime carried for a while.

Thank you Lenn for giving us this opportunity to celebrate Deb’s life and the fruit of the labor that David and the Red Newt team produce. Deb has left a legacy that will not be matched. The region will struggle to pull itself back together, but it will. Rest in peace Deb. And when I am up in Hector again, looking over the deck of the winery as I look at the lake at sunset, I know you will be there.

Following countless others, we turned onto Tichenor Road in Hector tonight at about 6:15 pm. Upon our arrival at Red Newt Cellars – just up the hill - the line to enter the tasting room was long enough to afford us a 25-minute wait.

Not surprisingly, no one minded.

Some in their Sunday’s best, others dressed for a summer day, the crowd that greeted us inside was not a cross section of the region’s food, wine and tourism enterprise but seemingly the whole of the industry in one room. Said another way, the friends and family gathered tonight was a true testament to Deb and Dave Whiting’s vision, hard work and enthusiasm for the Finger Lakes and its potential.

For this, we raise our glass to you.

Julia Burke, NYCR Beer Editor: Red Newt Cellars 2008 Circle Riesling

Since its release, this amazing riesling has been a part of my life on so many occasions that I can't think of Finger Lakes wine without it crossing my mind.

Red Newt 08 Circle impressed me on first sip with its beautiful balance. The gorgeous tropical fruit that's textbook Finger Lakes, the tightrope of acidity, that suggestion of sweetness that lingers long enough on the mid-palate to demand near-constant sipping, and the beautiful length of the wine all make it, to me, the very best way to bring the Finger Lakes to groups of friends and family at $12 a bottle.

I've enjoyed this wine standing around my best friends' kitchens cooking and talking, on my parents' patio in the middle of the summer, with roast turkey at Thanksgiving and with cheese and crackers on a weeknight.

It's my absolute epitome of what a good wine should be, and the fact that I'll think of Deb Whiting from now on when I enjoy it makes it all the more special to me.

Dan Mitchell, Fox Run Vineyards: Community

What am I drinking? Community.

I spend a good part of my week traveling around New England encouraging people to "Buy Local," a movement that has spread across the country but was pioneered in the Finger Lakes by Deb Whiting.

So today I pulled a bottle of Red Newt 2007 Sawmill Creek Cabernet Franc that I had been stashing away and set out to enjoy my lunch. Egg salad pitas with fresh greens and arugula from my girlfriend's backyard garden would do the trick nicely.

As I enjoyed the silky tannin and beautiful dark cherry character of this wine, not to mention the subtle licorice to the nose, I was reminded of why I am involved in the wine industry in the Finger Lakes in the first place. Community.

I have worn several hats over the years, and have had opportunity to work in much larger communities with much larger payrolls and much flashier lifestyles. However, they lacked the family-like bonds that hold Finger Lakes wineries together.

These past several days have been difficult not only for those who knew Deb so well but for those who know the Red Newt family, who have seen Dave's infectious smile, and those who make Red Newt wines a part of their weekly meals.

A member of our family is hurting, and that grieves us all. People often come in to or tasting rooms and ask how the wine is at our "competition". They have no idea how far from the truth that is. This delicious bottle of cab franc is why I work in the Finger Lakes, but the flavors in the glass are secondary.

Last night, Jerol and I once again enjoyed the 2007 Red Newt, Sawmill Creek Gewürztraminer with our dinner. Grilled yogurt, ginger and chili-marinated chicken thighs with grilled local vegetables paired perfectly. It is not by coincidence that the Whiting family’s wines have been consistently accompanied by memorable nights with great friends and family.

"Here’s a picture of our Block 1 Chardonnay on Oregon Road being grafted over to Pinot Noir 777 and Pinot Noir 667 (2.2 acres), and Cabernet Franc #2 and Cabernet Franc #4 (2.3 acres) by a two man crew flown in from St. Helena, CA.

They can graft 500 vines per day and were the same crew that replaced an underperforming block of merlot with beautiful new malbec and petit verdot tops.

We’ll see fruit as soon as next year, and the survival rate of the vines is 90% or better. Any casualties are replaced next year."

The pinot will become a part of winemaker Greg Gove's new methode champenoise program (the first -- made in 2009 -- will be released in 2013). The cabernet franc will nearly double the winery's acreage of the grape.

Winebar, which opened last week at The Portly Grape in Greenport, will serve as the primary tasting location for those producers. Dilworth's own wines, under the Comtesse Therese label, will also be featured there.

Run by Mark Anderson and Andrew Mestler, who you may know from Bedell Vineyards, the new tasting room-meets-wine bar features wine tasting flights from Bouke, Comtesse Therese and Scarola Vineyards.

This isn't just a tasting room however. Wine tastings can be accompanied by a food tasting menu that includes a roasted pear and goat cheese salad, pan seared scallops, oysters, smoked Crescent Duck breast, beef tenderloin, ahi tuna, and aged New York sirloin -- all prepared by Chef Mark Sorrentino in The Portly Grape's restaurant kitchen.

Winebar is, well, a wine bar as well. As such it will offer wines by the glass and by the bottle from a variety of North Fork vineyards. Local beers from Greenport Harbor are also available -- making it the perfect wine country destination for wine lovers who either love a beer at the end of a day of wine tasting or, like me, have good friends who just don't like wine.

July 03, 2011

You could forgive Judy Wiltberger for feeling skeptical about what she just heard. It was summer, 1989, and maybe the warm air and stunning views had imbued the region with an unrealistic sense of optimism. After all, Judy had doubts about her own grand visions for a winery called Keuka Spring. But the couple sitting across from her at dinner seemed perhaps one step further out of step with reality. They had just declared their hope to launch not only a winery, but a restaurant attached to it.

"I'm going to start a restaurant," the ebullient Deb Whiting had declared. "There's such great opportunity here."

And that, at least, was true. The culinary scene in the Finger Lakes was stuck on fast food and faster food.

But there was a reason that wineries weren't built in tandem with restaurants: They couldn't make money, couldn't attract enough business. And it would be even more difficult to create a successful business in the vision laid out by Deb Whiting: high-end food, mostly local, with all local wines.

But Judy and her husband Len just smiled. If this couple wanted to take a shot, why not root them on? They seemed to have the energy. They would probably fail, but what's life without taking risks and seeing how far even the most unlikely dream can go?

*****

Deb Whiting shared more in common with her hero Alice Waters than she was willing to let on. Waters pioneered a local food movement in California; Whiting practically invented the local food movement in the Finger Lakes. She was proudly working with local agriculture long before it became a national trend, long before "local" became an effective marketing term.

But give Deb credit for two things: First, she didn't think the local food movement was a fad, but instead a permanent shift in values. Second, she didn't give a damn if she were wrong about that, because she was going to keep right on serving local food.

"This isn't a trend," she said on a summer's day in 2008. "People understand that local food is often better food, and it's better for them, and it's clearly better for the local economy. There's too much going for the local food movement to see it fade away. It's here, and it's only going to get stronger."

Deb's culinary exploits have turned local growers and purveyors into quasi-celebrities. Finger Lakes foodies are quite familiar with Autumn's Harvest Farm, a smaller-scale version of Joel Salatin's farm that gained national prominence in Michael Pollan's book The Omnivore's Dilemma. And how many trips to the Newt were punctuated by some magical creation featuring Lively Run chevre?

The seasonally based raviolis at the Newt are a marvel. One hasn't dined until one has enjoyed Deb Whiting's rhubarb-chevre ravioli, or her mid-summer blueberry ravioli, or any number of other versions accented cleverly and subtly with lavender or currant sauce or fig.

But unlike the celebrity chefs that have popped on reality television or in bookstores, Deb Whiting never stopped being accessible. Friends would muse about trying new recipes at home and Deb would insist they try a certain technique, following up with phone calls or emails to find out if it worked. Her customers knew her well enough to call her name across a crowded restaurant. One June afternoon I witnessed a table bolt to attention at the sight of Deb, rapturously applauding. First standing O I'd ever seen in a restaurant.

I can still hear the applause bouncing off the walls of the dining room.

*****

The Independence Day weekend is supposed to be one of the most joyful times of the year in the Finger Lakes. The weather is warm, the lakes are alive, the wine is flowing. But for 48 surreal hours, every time someone laughed they felt almost, well, guilty.

Is it okay to laugh?

There's no guidebook for dealing with this stuff, of course. So laughter is okay. So is sadness. And confusion.

At Ravines Wine Cellars, a woman brought up Deb Whiting's name Sunday afternoon and promptly melted into convulsions. The entire staff bowed their heads. This scene was playing out at dozens of tasting rooms, dozens of times.

Mostly, though, I have moved past confusion and sadness. Now I'm just pissed.

*****

See, it's silly to talk about who deserves what in life. How are we to judge? What is the standard for who is more deserving of tragedy, or less?

But with that out of the way, I can tell you that Dave Whiting doesn't deserve this.

I am angry, at no one and nothing, on his behalf. I am angry for the region. Nothing I can do, right? Have to try to move on, right? I don't care. I'm furious.

Two weeks ago, Dave Whiting joined us for dinner in New York City. Deb was back home, and we were dining at the new Boulud Sud. Dave was so taken with the meal that he snapped off a handful of photos and immediately texted them to his wife. She couldn't be there to share it, so he wanted her to experience it as much as she could.

That's love. That's geeky, holding hands, flowers-for-no-reason love. How many couples still offer those little gestures after more than two decades together? How many couples are so excited to be married that they can't stand to miss one night out together?

Hell, how many couples can work together every damn day and come out stronger?

So I don't care if it doesn't make sense. I'm angry with the universe because I know there's nothing to make this right.

And yet.

*****

The Finger Lakes has broken through to some impressive new heights when it comes to wine and food, but the region is on a knife's edge. Simply put, there's a lot of reason to believe the region can't succeed in the wake of this loss.

Here, though, is where legacy comes in. No one could argue that Deb Whiting had enough time with us, but she had enough time to build something special and lasting. She is gone, but her ethos is thriving. It is embedded in the Newt. That won't change. It has infected the culinary scene from lake to lake to lake. There are more fine dining options than ever before, many of them highlighting local food. Don't be so naive to think Deb's fingerprints aren't all over those establishments.

The stretch of road that hugs the southeast side of Seneca Lake is a monument to Deb Whiting. You're going out to eat, and how do you choose? There's the Newt, yes, but there's Stonecat Cafe. There's Suzanne, and Dano's. We're just getting started. It's a foodie's dream.

But there is a real risk now for the region. Deb Whiting was the thread that was often unseen, silently weaving culinary efforts together. She worked tirelessly for the Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty. Her goal was to share the stage, not own it. She knew that a team filled with all-stars is stronger than a team focused on one player.

It will not be easy to carry her efforts forward, but it will be necessary. This weekend, Judy Wiltberger smiled at the memory of Deb's eager pronouncements all those years ago. Deb has done her part to succeed where it was more than a little unlikely, and so many of us have benefited. She deserves to have her memory carried forward with even more significant successes for the region.

And there's that word again: deserves.

*****

Dave Whiting deserves love and patience and support, and he'll get it. Ryan and Brenton and the rest of the Red Newt family deserve to know what Deb Whiting has meant to the Finger Lakes. There's comfort in knowing that they're already seeing it, and feeling it.

This week they will feel it directly when the region converges on the Newt to offer a formal goodbye.

Michael Warren Thomas, local broadcaster and leader in the local food movement, put forward an idea this weekend. What if, he suggested, we all showed our support by buying a couple of bottles of Red Newt wine? And what if our friends did, too? And what if some of us bought not just two bottles, but enough to use as hostess gifts and summer sippers and wintertime warmers?

His email spread quickly. It seems obvious -- so many of us already buy Red Newt wine, right? But Michael's point is that there is some urgency. He figures people can show support by supporting the business, buying the wine, visiting the tasting room, and dining at Red Newt Bistro. All summer long.

It is admittedly a difficult place to go these days. It will not be the same, ever. We can't expect it to be.

But we can feel good about this remarkable life, her relentless pursuit of quality, her refusal to even consider the notion that simply being good could be good enough. Our lives are fuller for having spent time with Deb Whiting, and grief doesn't have to have the last word.

July 01, 2011

Deb died in a car accident last night while returning home from Vermont with her husband Dave, who was injured in the crash. Dave is listed in stable condition after being taken to a Syracuse hospital.

The Whitings have long been regional ambassadors, reaching into new markets and pushing for higher quality standards. The restaurant, built around Deb Whiting's passion for local agriculture, has won many awards and is the reigning NYCR Finger Lakes Restaurant of the Year.

We will have more to say about the Whitings next week. For now, we can only try, and fail, to convey our sadness over the loss.

This is an industry that takes great pride on a spirit of collaboration, and that spirit has never been needed more.

Our thoughts go out to the Whiting family as well as the entire Red Newt family and Finger Lakes wine community.

It is my personal opinion that there is way too much chardonnay planted on Long Island. I know all the reasons why its there -- easy to grow, customer demand, etc. -- but chardonnay is never going to be why people visit the region or demand Long Island wines on a restaurant list.

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it.

I will also highlight Long Island chardonnay wines that are delicious, which they can be. Especially when the right clones are grown in the right place and the wine is made by the right winemaker.

Take this Wolffer Estate Vineyards 2008 "Perle" Chardonnay ($30) made from Dijon #76 clone grapes grown on a particular rise in their estate vineyard in Sagaponack, of course vinified by the only winemaker Wolffer has ever known, Roman Roth.

I've walked this particular vineyard with vineyard manager Rich Pisacano during harvest, plucking a few berries from clusters as we meandered through various blocks. You can see, and taste, the difference in the clones well before the grapes are crushed and made into wine.

In 2008, Roth fermented this wine in 80% French oak (22% new) and 20% stainless steel. In total, the wine spent 8 months on the lees, with only 20% malo-lactic fermentation.

That time in barrel on the lees gives this wine a slightly nutty notes that bring complexity to intense, almost-sweet peach, pineapple and mango aromas. Near room temperature, I noticed a briney, green olive note as well.

The palate is lush and mouth filling,with layers of ripe tropical fruit, brine and spicy lees character. It is rich and creamy on the mid-palate -- but with very nice acidity for balance -- which leads into a long finish where a bit of gently toasty oak peeks through along with serious leesy character.

With my well-known preference for unoaked whites, this probably isn't something I'd reach for every often, but it's still a beautifully made wine.